


Am I your tool and a friend to fool? Or am I the one you cherish for good?

by Gassu



Series: Science, Life & ABCs [10]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Banner Has Issues, Friendship, Gen, Science Bros, Tony Stark Has A Heart, and they all need a hug, pre-Science Boyfriends, trust issues kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-20 09:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4781777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gassu/pseuds/Gassu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce's mind wanders into his darkest corners again. This time with a bit of trusting issues, because at the moment everything is too good to be true. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Am I your tool and a friend to fool? Or am I the one you cherish for good?

**Author's Note:**

> Found this fic piece from my folders and decided to finish it.
> 
> My mind likes to create these strange situations.

Another day in the lab and he always thought that this would be the life he always wanted, but lately there has been moments where Bruce would drown to his deepest darkest corner of his mind and think about this, this _life_ he has now.

 

Tony Stark befriended him, admired him as Dr. Bruce Banner and as the Hulk. He invited him to live in the Tower and build him his own lab. This all was like a dream and for a moment he could breath this all in and work in his new lab with his projects or work with some joint projects with Tony. He even got friends from the Avengers and for a while he could dream that his nightmare is over - _the childhood, Ross, Hulk -_ and he could actually _live_.

 

That was until Bruce started to see how often Tony needed his help with some projects that _needed_ a bit more _biological knowledge_. He never asked more about these projects, but he was sure that they were some very shady things and Bruce started to feel anxious. He didn’t like the feeling of being _used_ like this.

 

Hulk was used in battle, Bruce was used in the lab. It felt so... wrong. Sure Tony was his cheerful self and did seem to enjoy being with him, but to Bruce this all could be just a show to keep him here. To use him and his knowledge. _Helping people_ , they said.

 

“Hey, big guy. I could use some help here.“ Tony said when he was working with something again.

 

Some other day Bruce would have accepted to help, but today he was already too deep in his mind to let this go. “No.“

 

Tony turned around to look at him with questoning look. “Okay? Are you busy?“

 

“No.“

 

That made Stark even more confused. “Uh, what is it then?“

 

“What am I to you, Stark?“

 

“Huh? I don’t-“

 

Bruce growled. “You’re using me, Stark. I thought - gosh I thought you could be someone else, someone who would be my colleague and friend - but the truth seems to be that I’m smart enough to help with things you need help with and that’s it. How long this will go until I’m not helpful anymore?“

 

Tony didn’t answer, but Bruce looked at him briefly and saw utter shock on his face and then dropped his gaze to the floor and clenched his teeth together.

 

“I’m just some kind of tool to be used until I’m no use anymore. This all... it’s just a show isn’t it?“

 

No answer.

 

“Answer me, Tony!“ and he looked at him, and flinched when Tony was standing right in front of him - how the heck he got in front of him so fast?

 

“Shut up, Bruce.“ Tony said. There was a painful look on his face, like he couldn’t believe what Bruce has said to him. “You want to know why I like to keep you around? Why I want to ask for your help often?“ Bruce nodded and kept his face serious, because he needed to know what _this_ was. “You can believe how lonely I have been for years in my lab. Of course there has been JARVIS and the bots, Pepper and Rhodey, but working alone and really never believing that there would be someone who is close to your intelligence, who could understand how our minds work and with who you would love to work with often could come to your life suddenly. You work together and suddenly you start to notice that the days you spend with the other, those are the days when everything feels so much easier. Like the world isn’t only on your shoulders, like you could share all this with someone and even talk without feeling like talking to a wall, because the other doesn’t stop listening, doesn’t stop you from speaking.” Tony takes a deep breath. “Because they understand.” And then his expression softens and Bruce is left speechless. Tony shrugs and then rubs his neck. “It’s fun. I like this. It makes me feel human and kind of proves me that I’m not just a machine in man’s body.” He laughs a little. “I could say that you make me feel human, Bruce. It’s kind of funny thing, isn’t it?”

 

Tony Stark just poured his heart out to him and… Bruce hasn’t thought about it before, but maybe like when Bruce thinks of himself that he is a monster, Tony kind of thinks he himself is a machine – a monster of some kind too. Person whose thoughts are not on the same frequency as the other people are and he feels left out of the world because of who he is – and because of their minds, their decisions sometimes are tad bit more stupid – even though it would have been a good idea at the time. Yet – maybe – somewhere deeper he wishes he didn’t feel like that.

 

It’s sometimes easier to make friends if you could be just as same as everyone else.

 

And Bruce… He can relate to that feeling. Being the genius child he was born to be and his history...

 

He carefully raises his hand to take a hold of Tony’s hand and the engineer looks up at him, slightly confused of what he is doing. Bruce smiles.

 

“Yes.” He nods. “It’s kind of funny when you think about it – think about us, but-...” He then gently squeezes Tony’s hand. “Thank you – for that and… for being my friend.”

 

Tony grins. “And your science bro?”

 

To which Bruce laughs then. “And being my science bro.”


End file.
